Enrollment
816
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Perry, IA
Perry Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Perry Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 192253000051
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Perry Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Perry · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 51.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Perry Elementary has class sizes smaller than 80% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Perry Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Perry, IA.
School address
District: Perry Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 192253000051 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Perry Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Perry Elementary
Perry Elementary is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Perry, Iowa, enrolling 816 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 51.3% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Iowa, bigger than 93% of state schools at 816 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 68 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #6, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (49%) and White (40%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 408 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 16.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Perry Comm School District also operates Perry High School (549 students) and Perry Middle School (370 students) alongside Perry Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Perry Elementary compares
Perry Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.8:1 | ▼ 20% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.3% | ▲ 41% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 816 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
816
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 20% in Iowa - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,640
per pupil, district-wide
- above Iowa avg of $12,854
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 408 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 49.3%
White 40.3%
African American 5.3%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.1, Perry Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perry Comm School District, which includes Perry Elementary.
$13,640
Per student
+6%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.3%
State 54.2%
Federal 16.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Perry Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Perry Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Perry Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 549
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Iowa, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~816 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Perry Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Perry Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Perry Comm School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Perry Elementary
How many students attend Perry Elementary?
Perry Elementary has 816 students enrolled. It is a public school in Perry, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Perry Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Perry Elementary is 11.8:1, which is 20% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Perry Elementary?
51.3% of students at Perry Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Perry Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Perry Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 49.3% of enrollment, in Perry, IA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perry Elementary?
Perry Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Perry Elementary rank among public schools in Perry?
By Resource Investment Index, Perry Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Perry, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Perry on the city page.
Is Perry Elementary a good school?
Perry Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Perry Comm School District?
Besides Perry Elementary, Perry Comm School District also operates Perry High School (549 students) and Perry Middle School (370 students). See the Perry Comm School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.